…from supporting faith schools and faith charities at home and abroad…

…to helping religious groups to deliver vital public services…

And, most powerfully, when our Prime Minister spoke out unequivocally about the lasting impact of the King James Bible on our country.

The future

But we must take this confident, open faith and apply it beyond the present.

I see a growing problem in some parts of our world today…

…with governments dictating:

What is a church and what isn’t.

Where people can build a place of worship and where they cannot.

Which faith they can belong to and which they cannot.

And whether they can display their beliefs in public or not.

I believe this is a misguided attempt at shoring up majority religions.

These governments need to realise that pluralism is not a threat to tradition.

Closer to home we see a similar suspicion.

For example, from the politicians who say that inviting Turkey to join the European Union is a threat to the roots of Europe and its Christian heritage.

Because they worry that the inclusion of a Muslim-majority country would diminish the Christianity of other countries.

They are mistaken.

The solution is not to shut the door on people of other faiths, but to strengthen our continent’s identity.

Just as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said of her country:

“The problem is not that we have too much Islam, it’s that we have too little Christianity and too few discussions about the Christian view of mankind.”

Those discussions will only come about if Europe is more confident in its Christianity.

So our continent needs the zeal of a convert…

…not from discovering something new but rediscovering something which has underpinned our civilisations for centuries.

Faith’s seat at the table

At the same time, politicians need to give faith a seat at the table in public life.

Not the privileged position of a theocracy, but that of an equal informer of our public debate.

So we are not afraid to acknowledge when the debate derives from a religious basis.

And not afraid to take onboard - and take on - the solutions offered up by religion.

Politicians must also not be afraid to speak out when we think people who speak in the name of faith have got it wrong.

For example, in the UK today, bishops in the House of Lords, the chamber in which I sit, are opposing the government’s reforms to welfare…

…where the government is trying to restore the dignity of work by putting responsibility back at the heart of society.

I welcome the role of the Bishops in scrutinising the legislation.

I support their right to bring their view to the table.

But I reserve the right to disagree.

I am not saying that faith leaders should have a monopoly on morality.

Because, of course, as our Prime Minister David Cameron said, there are Christians who don’t live by a moral code and there are atheists and agnostics who do. But for people who do have a faith, their faith can be a helpful prod in the right direction.

Therefore, I’m arguing that religion needs a role when we look at the problems today.

So that even the most committed atheist can find that those who are committed to religion have something to offer…

…and that faith can be good for society, good for communities and good for those who choose to follow a faith.

When religion has a role in public life, it enables us to look at our economy and refer to the Christian principles on which our markets were founded.

It means we can take solace from teachings such a Rerum Novarum and Caritas in Veritate, which offer up answers for creating moral markets.

It means we can look at our social problems and be inspired by Catholic Social Teaching.

…looking at our welfare system and thinking, how does this impact on human dignity?

…looking at social breakdown and thinking, are we reinforcing responsibility between citizens?

…looking at governance and thinking, are we relying on large organisations to do what smaller units could achieve?

…all the while thinking and remembering that many of our values…

…loving our neighbours…

…acting as the Good Samaritan would…

…supporting and championing the family unit…

…doing to others as you would be done by…

… are Biblical, spiritual and religious in their origin.

Understanding faith

This action at a national and at a political level should have an impact at a social level.

Where individuals’ stronger rooting in their own religion will inspire a stronger understanding of faith.

And there is no better remedy to the distortion of our respective faiths.

As the Holy Father said last year in Assisi:

“[Violence] is not the true nature of religion. It is the antithesis of religion and contributes to its destruction.”

Yet it remains a sad fact that in the modern world we see faith hijacked in the name of evil acts.

Utterly contrary to the teachings of the mainstream religions of the world.

Perhaps if states were more rooted in their religious heritages then faiths would be less prone to being distorted and hijacked for political gains.

At the same time it is this distortion which leads to believers being victimised for the actions of their co-religionists.

Whether it’s Christians in Pakistan…

Muslims in the USA…

Or Jews in Britain…

Targeted, victimised and facing the backlash of actions by their co-religionists.

It’s unacceptable and it must stop.

Conclusion

I started today by talking about the bond between the UK and the Holy See…

…about how we have overcome our differences to form our oldest formal diplomatic relationship.

I established that appreciating these differences was a sign of our strength, not weakness.

And this strength of identity has shone through…

…in our actions in the name of the common good…

…in the Holy Father’s State Visit to the UK in 2010…

…and, I trust, in our visit today.

Today I am urging individuals and nations to take the same approach when it comes to faith.

And saying that in order to create harmony…

…people need to strengthen their own identity…

…being sure of their nation’s religious foundations…

…and secure in their own beliefs.

At a time of great change taking place throughout the Muslim world, particularly during the Arab awakening.

Many countries, political parties and individuals are redefining their identity.

They are looking to their faith as source of inspiration to define the values by which they want to govern.

This is a great opportunity for them…

…to show that good governance can be rooted in religion….

…to show the world the true, peaceful spirit of religion…

…to demonstrate that defending your neighbour, whatever their faith, is an obligation defined by religion….

…to openly say that their countries are a home for all people of any religion.

…recognising that defending another faith does not diminish your own…

…being sure of your foundations and protecting minorities…

…preventing faith from being undermined and creating a space for faith - any faith - to thrive.

For Europe this means becoming more confident in its Christianity…

…and with that confidence, becoming more open.

People need to realise that, in our continent and beyond, Christianity’s teachings and values…

…are as permanent as Westminster Abbey…

…as indelible as Da Vinci’s Last Supper…

…and as solid as Christ the Redeemer.

And that Christianity is as vital to our future as it is to our past.

Our two states have lots to learn and much to teach…

…and I have hope, and yes faith, that others will continue with us on this path.